Genoa sizing

Kermit · Aug 14, 2015

readerbill said:
I am not a hard core racing junkie, but fast is fun.

Finally! Words that describe the way I feel. Thank you!

David in Sandusky · Aug 14, 2015

Consider an asymmetric cruising spinnaker

A big genny, 130 to 155, is a light weather racing sail. With crew as ballast. It is the best way to go to windward in light to moderate winds.

The minute you ease off the wind to a reach, it soon loses its shape, and becomes a problem!

We carry a 110, a Doyle Asymetric, and a 130 on Lady Lillie. The Asymetric is a powerful, effective sail on any reach, from 65 to 150 degrees off the true wind.

Hoisted in a sock, the Asymetric is easily switched with the 110, when winds die down, and back to the 110 when they pick up again. Shifting from a jib to a Jenny involves dropping one sail, and raising another, which takes us much longer than hoisting the sock, and deploying the Asymetric.

I see so many cruisers dealing with mis-shapen big gennies, healing excessively, and trying to make them work when they are simply the wrong sail!

Enough said. Good luck with your decision.

Benny17441 · Aug 15, 2015

Get a 155. The boat can handle it in a stiff breeze and will provide best performance in light winds.

David in Sandusky · Aug 15, 2015

Yes, we have a roller furler

We have a roller furler, usually with the 110 on it. 110, or 130, when its rolled up, there is no interference with the Asymetric.

Most asymetrics come with a sock. So shifting from the 110 goes like this:
- furl the 110.
- hoist the top of the sock on the spinnaker halyard.
- rig the Asymetric sheet and tack lines.
- raise the sock which deploys the assymetric.
- trim the assymetric, and off we go!

Reverse the process to go back to the 110.

We do sometimes overlap the process, leaving the sock up, and unfurling the 110, etc.

The 155 is a great sail for going to weather in light winds. At 70 degrees off the true wind, the Asymetric already provides far more power.
On a beam reach, the Asymetric is incredible, and the 155 is totally out of shape, providing more healing force and drag, than drive!

DianaOfBurlington · Aug 19, 2015

Headsail wardrobe

You can pretty much never go wrong with a good 135, on a furler or not. A 155 is fine but is limited to lighter air (and usually a 155 is made lighter, so even if the boat can handle it, the sail won't, for long).

For a decent cruising boat such as my H25, the headsail wardrobe could include:
110 working jib (5.5 oz)
90/100 'offshore blaster' (6 oz)
125 or 135, general-purpose genoa, medium-light
155 drifter, really light
storm jib, heavy
spinnakers extra.

Sailwarehouse.com carries all of these; they also have a priceless data chart with the sail dimensions of just about every production boat you can think of (including all our 'legacy' Hunters). Their prices are good; and if you do not have a reliable local sailmaker I would go to them in a trice.

Have all your sails fitted with luff tape (#5 or #6 most common).

I'll say here for about the thousandeth time that if you have a furler that doesn't let you remove and replace sails with it rigged on the boat, in the water, at sea, you haven't really got a cruising furler. This is prime amongst all requisites for a furler. Storm-damage claims are full of people who left the sail on and had it wreak absolute havoc on their boat and on everyone else. I've seen it happen. And I won't even get into how important this feature is during a serious blow at sea.

Stu Jackson · Aug 19, 2015

A very illuminating and interesting discussion on co.com for those of you who might be in the market for a new jib.

http://forums.catalina.sailboatowners.com/showthread.php?t=155362

Please read all three pages. Enjoy.

markwbird · Aug 19, 2015

135 for Florida

Depends on where you sail. Florida is generally a light air locale. If I were going with just one genoa it would be a 135 for Florida.